The Rankine cycle is a known thermodynamic power generation cycle wherein a working fluid is repeatedly cycled through a closed loop. Typically, heat energy is delivered to the working fluid in a first portion of the cycle, and is partially converted to useful mechanical work in a second portion of the cycle. The working fluid is pressurized as a liquid to a high pressure state, and this high-pressure liquid is then vaporized and superheated by the heat energy. The mechanical work is recovered by non-adiabatically expanding the superheated vapor to a lower pressure state. Such a system is known to be used as a bottoming cycle for the recovery of waste heat from process streams.
The combustion of fuel-air mixtures to produce power is similarly known. Typically, the combustion process converts chemical energy that is present in the fuel, in combination with a supply of oxygen, to mechanical work, leaving some amount of that energy as waste heat. This waste heat can be used as the heat source for a Rankine bottoming cycle in order to increase the overall power conversion efficiency of a power generation system.